"Under-The Hill" was the notoriously rowdy riverfront district of Natchez, Mississippi at the beginning of the nineteenth century. So disreputable, it was seldom mentioned in the polite drawing rooms of the antebellum mansions that dotted the other side of town during the era when cotton was king. Cold Steel®'s Natchez Bowie was born "Under-The-Hill" and takes its pedigree from those seedy taverns and dimly lit streets. Line-bred for battle, it's the definitive fighting Bowie. Its long blade is perfectly shaped for strength, reach and leverage, and its significant heft is flawlessly balanced, giving it unparalleled liveliness and velocity. Combine all that with its wickedly razor sharp edge and you have a knife that pierces like a dagger, cuts like a razor and chops like a cleaver!

Cold Steel® has been a long time believer in the ferocious cutting power of a well-designed Viking Axe. Until recently, they lacked the technical ability to make one to their satisfaction. However, with their new state-of-the-art forging facility, they can offer their customers something truly exceptional. Their Viking Axe's formidably long, thin blade is fully polished and hand sharpened to a bone-splitting, shield shattering edge. It comes with a robust 10" cutting surface that terminates in two sharp points. Traditionally,the longer top point was used for stabbing, gouging, or parrying, while the slightly shorter bottom point was used to capture an opponent's shield or to hook and immobilize his neck, arms, or legs. To maximize leverage, strength, and dexterity of movement, the Viking Axe is equipped with a very strong, resilient haft. Made in Maine from the best hickory available, it enhances and amplifies the Viking Axe's lethal potential as a cutting, chopping and stabbing weapon.

The Samburu tribe who inhabit Kenya's rugged northern frontier are a tall, lean people who eke out a living as semi-nomadic herders of sheep, goats, donkeys, camels and cattle. The warriors of the tribe known as "Lmurran" are particularly impressive, as they never cut their long braided hair and decorate their faces and torsos in intricate patterns using a cosmetic mixture made from animal fat and red ochre. Since their flocks and herds are constantly menaced by predators and subject to raids by lawless "Shiftas" (bandits) from Somalia, they seldom venture outside their "Kraals" (a kind of makeshift hut) without being thoroughly armed. In fact, no warrior worthy of his name would think of being caught without his spears. You see, the Samburu warrior's seven foot long throwing spear is the most advanced, state of the art spear of its type on the planet. With this extraordinary spear, warriors routinely dispatch marauding leopards, lions and even firearm toting bandits at unheard of distances.

For many years now Cold Steel® has been fascinated with the Black Knife or Skean Dhu (Gaelic) of the ancient Scottish warriors. Used as a utility or back-up knife and worn under the sleeve, tucked inside a jacket or slipped into the top of a stocking it was thin, flat "pointy" and light as a feather. Now Cold Steel is proud to offer you their latest interpretation of this timeless knife in the form of an updated Tactical folder called the Hold Out.

The Kukri blade, with its markedly downward curved blade, has long been identified with the Gurkha Warriors of Nepal, the ferocious mercenaries who have wielded this blade for over 150 years in the service of the British Empire. The Cold Steel® Gurkha Kukri was inspired by Cold Steel President, Lynn C. Thompson's close association with Dr. Maung Gyi, chief instructor of the American Bando Association, and a renowned martial artist with wide-ranging knowledge and skills. Under Dr. Gyi's tutelage, Lynn gained insight into the full potential of the Kukri and learned it was not just a chopping weapon but a piercing, slashing, and smashing weapon as well. Smashing techniques allow the Kukri to function as a hammer or mallet or to deliver non-lethal blows in a self-defense role. A concentrated blow with the back of the blade can break bones or be lethal if directed at the head.